He's Not What They Thought
by livingtothefullest
Summary: Cato and Katniss become unlikely allies after Peeta turns on Katniss and the Careers turn on Cato. They're plan, rid the arena of the careers in one quick blow. Will Katniss be able to over come her reluctance of having to kill the boy from the bakery and how will Cato deal with his new bubbling feelings for Katniss? Will she ever feel the same about him?
1. An Unlikey Ally

Katniss laid in the middle of the clearing, the blood from the wound in her leg pouring out and seeping into the ground beneath her. She held it and tried to stop the bleeding, but didn't think it was helping and she didn't have anything to cover it. She was vulnerable and helpless. Who was the cause of her horrible demise?

Peeta.

The boy from the bakery, the one that she thought that she could trust, but apparently not. The careers had taken a liking to him, more than Cato, apparently they had dropped him and made Peeta their new "leader." Why? Katniss wasn't absolutely sure why. He was a great contender and everything, but she wasn't sure why or how they had gotten rid of Cato, why would they? He was the leader, and she was surprised that he hadn't killed all of them on the spot. As she heard someone draw close, she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing to make it seem as if she was dead. She knew that she was already going to die, but she didn't want to go through anything else. This was already enough.

She heard someone curse and then tap her side. She bit her lip and then someone grabbed her arm and pulled her up. "You're not dead..." a familiar voice said. She opened her eyes and looked at Cato.

"Please, just leave me here to die... I-I'm going to be gone soon anyways," she said and chewed roughly on her bottom lip.

Cato looked at her and smirked lightly. "Kill you? No... I need you 12." He said and started carrying her out of the clearing.

"Need me?" She whispered. "What do you mean need me? I'm no use to you..." She whispered.

"You're going to help me get rid of the Careers... I have some medicine back at my base that should help that nasty knife wound of yours. _Then_ you'll definitely be of more use to me." He said as he walked through the woods.

"I'm not helping you do anything!" She shouted. "I'm not going to be a puppet of yours like those Careers had been! You're not going to use me and then just kill me when you're done with me!"

He stopped and threw her to the ground. She groaned and Cato held an arrow he had taken from her to her throat. "Then I'll just kill you right now... Stab you right in the throat and let you die. Maybe your mom and sister will be watching. Didn't you want to win this game for them? What about the boy you mentioned...? Gale? Wasn't that his name? Your friend from your district? Maybe he'll be watching. They'll all see you bleed out and die in this way... Who says I was going to kill you later anyways? You're a good tribute, 12. I wanted you to stay around and, hell, maybe the two of us will be the last ones standing..." He said and took the arrow away from her throat before picking her back up.

Katniss stayed quiet as they continued on. When they got to Cato's base, he set her down and then rummaged through one of his packs that he had laying around. Cato took out a small jar and then looked at Katniss. She was chewing on her lip roughly and nodded. He bent down and coated his fingers in the medicine before rubbing it on her wound. She winced and squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her lip. Cato finished and put the jar back.

"There, all better," he said in a mocking sort of way. "It will take about an hour to heal. Until then, you stay here and guard the packs. I'm going to climb a tree and start setting up the beds for the night. We'll be safer up high, but I guess you already know that, right?" He said and smirked.

Katniss' memory went back to when she had been hiding from the Careers in a tree one day and they had staked her out all night and she proceeded to cut a hive of tracker jackers onto them. Glimmer was killed in the process.

"R-Right," she said and nodded. She took her bow and arrow and propped herself up a little bit. The wound on her leg was already beginning to heal, the pain had vanished and was replaced with a cooling sensation that the medicine gave off. "Just hurry up, I'm not going to do much of the protecting stuff because, honestly, I can't," she said and looked to him.

Cato shrugged and nodded. "Seems fair enough, I'll be quick 12," he said and looked up at a tree. "And trust me, I know how to climb them now. Better than I had before." He side smirked at her and then jumped onto a branch and started climbing up. Katniss chewed on her lip and forced back a smile.

She had to admit, he was charming... She just told her brain to shut up and stayed focused on the task at hand which was watching the packs.

A few hours later, Cato came climbing back down the tree and looked at her. "How's your leg? Do you think you can climb up by yourself?" He asked. "Two sleeping bags are set up and there's a sling to hold the four packs that we have, okay?"

Katniss nodded and stood. She put pressure on her leg and smiled when she could actually walk on it. "Yeah, I think I can climb," she said and put her bow and arrow on her back. She climbed up and sat on her sleeping bag. Cato climbed up as well and smirked lightly before tying himself in. Katniss did the same and Cato opened a pack taking an apple out and handing it to Katniss. She reached her hand out to take it and as she did, Cato put a handcuff around her wrist, and then cuffed her to a branch that was longer than the ones that they were one, so if she tried to get out then she'd fall. "W-What the hell?!" She yelled and pulled at it.

"It's to make sure you don't try and skip out on me," Cato said and smirked as he took a bite of the apple that he had been offering her.

"Take it off," she said sternly. "Take it off or I'm not going to help you."

"No can do, 12," he said.

"I swear to God, I will kill you right here and now if you don't undo these cuffs!" She yelled.

"Oh yeah..." He took the knife off of her belt and then took her arrow sheath. "I'm going to hold these until the morning so I don't wake up dead.

"Damn it, Cato!" She yelled. "You fucking ass! Take it off now! I swear... This sucks! Let go!"

"Language, language, miss... We're on television," He said and smirked. "Want something to eat?" He asked.

"No! I want to be let go! Right now! Please? If I ask nicely?"

Cato still shook his head head and smirked. Katniss groaned and laid back on her sleeping bag. "Listen, instead of fighting with me, let's talk... I know the careers' paths and everything about them, of course, since I was their leader for a long time. Now... Tomorrow is the day we... I mean... ah, them... They get their water... Their's a stream not far from here where they go. They'll kill anyone or anything that's in their sights. I think we should blitz attack them. If we take down the leader, they won't know what to do. The'll be scared and they'll just start trying to kill us instead of having some kind of organized attack. They'll be scared and frantic..."

"Kill the leader? The leader now is Peeta right?" Katniss asked and chewed on her lip and looked down in her lap.

"Yes, kill him."

"Cato, I don't know if I can do that. I think... I just.." She took a deep breath.

"Katniss, he turned on _you. You_ didn't turn on him. He's the one who tried to kill you. I know you two were "in love," hell, maybe you still are. But, he tried to kill you, okay? You have to realize that much, okay?" He said softly.

"Cato... I can't... I can't kill him..." She whispered.

"You're the long shot... You can work a bow and arrow and you can kill him by surprise..." Cato took a deep breath and took her hand lightly. "You can do it... You're stronger than him, okay? Do you understand?"

She took a deep breath and then nodded lightly. "Yeah..." She whispered and took another breath looking at him and then down at their hands, he was playing with her fingers. She gently tugged her hand away and looked at Cato who looked almost embarrassed. "So... tomorrow..."

"Around noon," he said and sat up straighter. "We'll go a little earlier in the morning and stake out the usual spot."

"What if they know that we might make a move..."

"They won't... They think I'm injured and they think you're injured. They don't think that we would team up or can team up." Cato smirked. "That's the surprise of it all."

Katniss nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay..." She whispered and then laid down. Cato did as well and closed his eyes. They both fell asleep.

They had gotten up that morning and taken up camp in a tree by the river. Katniss looked down at her hands, zoning out completely as she just stared and thought about Peeta. She was going to kill him. She had to. The others would fall soon after like Cato said. It was the best for her... She would be one step closer to going home, to being with Prim again.

"Katniss?" Cato asked and touched her shoulder. She jumped and sniffled lightly and cursed herself for crying in front of Cato. Why was she crying anyways? "Are you okay? Are you crying?"

She shook her head quickly and bit down on her lip. "S-Sorry..." She whispered. "I'm just thinking... I'm so nervous about this damn situation... I can't help but think of all the crap that can go wrong... I keep thinking about killing Peeta and I can't help but think about how he helped me when I needed it! He was there for me and my family! I can't help but think of all this stuff and... my head is so jumbled and crazy and I just don't know what to-" She was cut off by Cato placing his lips on her's.

She looked at him a second, his eyes closed and his lashed floated out against his defined cheekbones. He continued to kiss her. He pulled back and bit his lip lightly and smiled. "Can you shut up? They're going to hear you..." He said and then continued what he was doing before.

Katniss sat there baffled for a moment, not knowing what to think. She smacked him upside the head and he cursed looking at her. "What was that?!" She whisper yelled.

"I was trying to shut you up," he said and shrugged.

"You don't kiss me!"

"And why not?" He asked. "Because you actually liked it?"

She chewed on her lip and looked away playing with her bow.

More time had passed and finally, the careers showed up. Cato pointed to them and when Katniss saw Peeta, she froze looking at him. "Now Katniss.." He whispered.

She looked at Cato and nodded lightly. With a deep breath, she raised her bow and swallowed. "I'm sorry..." She whispered. As she got ready to let go someone screamed. Katniss lost her balance as she was startled and Cato caught her before she could fall and then a canon went off Katniss went and held onto Cato for more balance. The Careers ran off and Cato cursed.

"We missed our chance..." He whispered and shook his head. Thresh came running out of the woods and Katniss watched him grab some water and then run back. She wondered who he had killed. There weren't many people left. "We'll stay here for the night... Then, tomorrow, we're going to trek to where they set their best trap..." He said.

Katniss nodded and looked at him lightly. "Thanks for catching me..." She said softly.

He smiled and bit his lip lightly. "No problem..."

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**Oh my goooooosh. Okay, hi. I was reading over my last Cato/Katniss piece and I got this idea. It was supposed to me a one shot and then I'd put in a lot of other one shots, but.. um... That's not how shit works out for me... So... This is probably (maybe hopefully I can control myself...) going to be a short story... Some shit is going to go down. Some things I post with this may make it M but... I don't know. I haven't gotten that far yet. This is kind of a go as I please story. I literally wrote this in the copy-N-paste thing on here. ANYWAYS enjoy. Comment. There will be more. :) **

**xxKellyn **


	2. Get to Know Me

The day had been quiet with no canon fire or sign of the careers. Cato suggested they had gone back to their base camp to rest up before they went and moved again. They stayed up in their tree, feeling safest there. The weather had gotten cooler with clouds moving in a bit. Katniss sighed and brought the sleeping bag around her more and looked to Cato who was sharpening the arrows that Katniss had left. "You don't have to do that," Katniss said to him.

Cato shrugged and smirked lightly. "I don't mind... It's something to pass the time," he said softly.

Katniss nodded and shivered lightly, cursing herself before trying to keep herself warm. She wrapped her arms around herself and sighed lightly. "If you weren't in the games right now... What would you be doing?" Katniss asked Cato softly trying to get her mind off the dropping temperature.

"What do you mean what would I be doing? Probably training and having a normal day that I would. I'd go to school, eat, do some work, train... and..." He sighed softly. "Do more training..."

Katniss bit her lip. "What is that all you would do?" She asked. "Train? Work? School?" She was absolutely curious because she had no clue what life was like outside of District 12.

"Pretty much. We aren't allowed to do much else. District 1 may be close with the Capitol, but... we aren't the Capitol," he stated. "What would you be doing?" He asked.

"Hunting, taking care of my mom and sister, trading, school... That's all that I have to do... Oh, and spending time with my friend Gale," she said with a small shrug. "My life was never really exciting."

"Did you know the boy from 12? What was he... a baker?" He asked.

Katniss sighed softly and looked down at her hands that were in the sleeping bag. "Yeah... Kind of..." She whispered. "He saved mine and my family's life. We were starving, not having much food and the game was bad, so hunting was down. One day, it was raining and cold and he tossed me some burnt bread. I never had talked to him, not even much after that, but in District 12 everyone knew everyone and I would hear things about him. He's such a good person deep down and I don't know why he would team up with the careers..." Katniss wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on them looking down at the ground.

Cato looked at her. "Were you two actually in love?" He asked softly. "Because, if you were, why would he turn on you?"

She shrugged and bit down on her lip. "I don't know why he would turn on me..." She murmured softly, ignoring the other question completely.

There was silence between the two for the moment. Cato contemplated his words carefully. He ended up opening and closing his mouth numerous times before closing it shut completely and sighing softly. Katniss looked at him and cocked an eyebrow before reaching into one of the packs and pulling out some bread that was becoming hard. "Yeah, we should, uh, eat that soon. It's going to go bad," Cato said and set the arrow down. "How about a bread and squirrel dinner tonight." He smirked lightly and scooted close to her. "You look cold by the way..." He muttered and took his sleeping bag wrapping it around her.

She shook her head and blushed lightly. "No, it's fine... I'm okay... But that dinner does sound nice," Katniss responded.

He shook his head. "We can't have you getting sick, right? That wouldn't be good. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow too..." Cato responded.

Katniss sighed and nodded. The rest of the night was nice and quiet like the day had pretty much been. Without realizing it, Katniss had cuddled into Cato for warmth, seeing as he night had grown cold. Cato didn't mind at all either. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder and bit his lip before kissing her cheek. Katniss looked back at him sleepily. "What was that for?" She asked with a small yawn.

"Nothing..." He whispered and smiled down at her softly. "Go to sleep... Katniss," he stated quietly, hesitating lightly at her name. He'd never called her by it before and had always known her by 12.

A smile spread across Katniss' face. "Okay, Cato," she said and yawned lightly again.

Once she was fast asleep, Cato took a good look at her, taking in all of her features. He traced her jawline lightly and smiled before kissing her head softly and rubbing her side. "Sleep tight..." He muttered softly before closing his own eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep for the first time since the games had started.

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**This chapter though guys... Yeah, it's kind of filler, but I have a lot of feels right now... *Sigh* Anyways, I won't bore you with any of that. So what did you think? Was it cute enough for you? I wanted to do something more fluffy than anything for this one. I was in a fluff mood. Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Pretty please review! I always love reading them! Thanks for reading!  
**

**xxKellyn **


	3. So This Just Happened

**So I was casually finishing the chapter for this story and was going to post it, but... sadly I pressed a wrong button, it took me back a page, and when I tried to get the rest of my story back.. It was fucking gone. I'm so pissed off right now, like that is not okay and it was like really good. Now, I'm pissed off and tired so the next part will probably be up late tomorrow night. Sorry about the loves... **

**xxKellyn **


	4. Battle for an Old Friend

**So I was on my other Cato and Katniss fanfic and I saw that it was added to a Community! I guess that's pretty cool yeah? I got really excited! I didn't even know until now! Anyways, I hope you all like this one just as much! **

* * *

Mornings were always the scariest part of the games for Katniss. She didn't know if she would find herself surrounded or if she would wind up dead only a few minutes later. She wished she could just sleep for a couple days and forget about everything else. Forgetting about these games would be the hardest thing to do, though. That's what everyone said. No one ever really forgot them, forgot the people who they killed, the allies they made and who winded up dead. Hell, what was she thinking... Even though she was fighting to stay in and fighting to stay alive everyday, she knew that it was going to be difficult and she wouldn't make it out alive. She just had to think positively as much as she could...

Cato learned not to show fear. Ever. If he did, back in District 1, he would be punished. So this whole games was almost a joke to him. He wasn't afraid of anything... except dying. He didn't want to die and that's why he had kiNlled so many. He didn't want them to kill him... The saying goes killed or be killed correct? That's what he lived by in these games. He would have ended up killing all the Careers at one point even. He had been planning it since day one. It would be hard because they had become his friends and his allies, but that's what he had to do to survive. Now, what about Katniss? Would he actually be able to kill her once they had finished with the Careers? He didn't know, he didn't want to think of that, because, honestly... Something kept bubbling up inside of him. He wasn't sure of what it was, but he knew that it was something... Something that made him feel good.

Cato was the first to wake up that morning. He looked down at Katniss who was still sound asleep and a smile spread across her face lightly. Noises came from below and Cato looked down to see the Careers right underneath them. They were looking around and laughing. Cato shook Katniss lightly to wake her up. She hummed lightly and looked up at him. "Wha-" She started but he cut her off and covered her mouth.

Katniss was confused for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows and looking up at him lightly and that's when the laughs and the chatter from the Careers floated up through the air. Katniss sucked in a breath and looked at him lightly. He placed a finger to his lips and took her bow and arrow, handing it to her. Her eyes widened and she chewed on her lip. "Now?" She mouthed.

Cato nodded lightly and grabbed a couple of knives, readying himself for when they would have to deal with the hand to hand combat. Katniss chewed on her lip, she could taste blood from it. That's how nervous she was. She had to do this though... It was for the best. He turned on her and she has to kill him... That's how it works right? These games? Kill or be killed...

Katniss sat up straighter and aimed her arrow down at Peeta. His smile, His laugh filling her up with the emotions and the pain already. "Goodbye..." She whispered one last time.

Just as she was about to release her arrow, there was a scream from Peeta. Marvel, the boy from District 2, had stabbed him in the arm. A smirk crossed his face as he stared down at Peeta who looked hurt and confused himself. Clove smiled and brought a knife to his throat, ready to kill him. Katniss screamed and shot her arrow at Clove, it ripped straight through her heart and she fell limp and dead to the ground.

The next few moments went by so fast it would have been like the world was in fast forward. Marvel was ready to kill Peeta himself, but Cato threw a knife down at him. Marvel dodged it quickly giving Peeta time to get up and move, hiding somewhere in the woods nearby. Katniss fired three arrows quickly at Marvel, hitting him in the shoulder with one of them. Marvel cried out in pain and clutched his shoulder, before putting his hand around the arrow and ripping it out. Cato was already upon him though. "Nice knowing you Marvel..." He said harshly and took him by the head, snapping his neck quickly. Katniss gasped at the sight and had to look away. Two cannon shots went off and it was all over...

She looked back at Cato who stood there and looked up at her with worry in his eyes, like he had done something wrong, but really, he had just saved their lives. "Katniss, you can come down now..." He said.

She looked at him lightly and then nodded before climbing down the tree and standing firmly on the ground, clutching her bow in her hand. She gathered the arrows she had shot and then looked at Cato. "Where's Peeta?" She said simply.

Cato furrowed his eyebrows. Why did she care about him? "I-I don't know," he responded. "He ran off into the woods somewhere, but Katniss... We should get our stuff and go."

Katniss shook her head. "I need to make sure that he's alright..." She whispered softly.

"But Katniss, wait!" Cato said, grabbing her arm. "He could be dangerous... He's hurt and scared and-"

"He's not an animal!" Katniss interjected. "I need to just... Be sure he's okay... Alright? I'll be back..."

Cato looked at her, still slightly confused. The two of them were a team now, right? So why was she trying to help the enemy exactly? It didn't make a lot of sense to Cato until he realized, maybe she did have feelings for Peeta still. Before Katniss could get to far away, he grabbed her arm and turned her around looking into her eyes. "You're not going to leave me right?" Cato whispered softly.

Katniss' eyes flitted up to his and she shook her head. "No... But, we might have a new member to our alliance..." She said softly.

Cato's heart immediately fluttered in fear at the thought of Peeta coming into their little group. If he did, he might try to take Katniss away... Cato couldn't let that happen, he wouldn't... Before Katniss left to find Peeta, Cato kissed her lips and held her close. Katniss was taken completely aback by his actions and wasn't sure what to do. She blushed as he kissed her and she soon found herself closing her eyes and kissing back.

It was magical really, how two people who had never met before, were from two different statuses, two different districts, and who hated each other in the beginning could somewhat fall for each other. Their lips interlocked, Cato taking control and rubbing her hips gently. Katniss, without realizing it, fought for dominance though. She dropped her bow so her hands could entangle in his hair, a small whimper falling from her lips. Cato kissed her deeper, letting her know what he was feeling, and what that was, was genuine love. Katniss' heart fluttered each time they moved a little and her whole body was tingling as the pressure from Cato's body increased. A smile swept across Cato's face, loving that he could make someone so strong feel this way, almost crumble in his hands with one kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, Cato looked down at her, a cocky smirk plastered onto his features. Katniss was blushing like crazy. "I-I'll be back..." Was all she could manage to mutter before going off into the woods in search of Peeta.

Cato, who was feeling very much accomplished, watched her and when she was out of sight, climbed the tree and got their stuff together to go and find a new place to sleep for the night.

* * *

**Promised it would be up tonight so I hope you enjoyed it! What did you think of the steamy kiss between Katniss and Cato? Do you think that they should accept Peeta into the group, take him as a prisoner, or kill him? Meehee... This chapter was fun to write, because battle scenes (no matter how short) are fun to write and so are the kissing scenes. I would've made it a little more... Um... hm. But I'm on my laptop for school... so... yeah. Anyways thanks for reading!**

**xxKellyn **


	5. I Won't Ever Forget You

Katniss hurried through the woods in search of Peeta, not sure where he would be exactly. He was an expert at hiding himself. "Peeta?" She asked quietly looking around. "Peeta, I'm not going to hurt you, I swear… Are you alright?" Her voice was barely audible. She knew this was risky. What if Peeta wasn't the same boy she had entered the game with? What if the games, the careers… what if something had changed him? He told her that he wouldn't let them treat him like a pawn; he wouldn't let them use him. The wind blew lightly, a shiver creeping up Katniss' spine. Her gaze flickered from tree to tree and she felt like a pair of eyes were following her. She kept her bow ready as she looked around.

As she looked, a branch broke behind her and she turned quickly, but no one was there. She inhaled deeply as her heart raced and turned back around to be met with a knife aimed at her throat. Katniss' eyes flickered to Peeta's, angry, cold, and so different from the boy she once knew. "Come to kill me have you?" Peeta asked and stepped closer.

"N-No… Peeta… I came to help you…" Katniss stated softly and looked to him pleadingly. "Please… Put the knife down."

"No! You want to kill me so you can win!" He shouted. "You and the guy from District 1… Cato. What are you allied with him now? Do you like him now? Did you forget about me?" The anger in his voice was rising and Katniss wasn't sure why he was so upset with her.

"No! I didn't forget about you! You were the one to forget about me!" Katniss shouted, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. Why was he acting like this towards her?

The laugh that erupted from him was bitter and almost crazy sounding. She stared at him with wide eyes, scared. "No… You were going to turn on me. I knew you were. The Careers…" Peeta looked down trailing off and then laughed lightly again, tears falling. "They promised…" He whispered, his voice choked by emotion.

"They turned on you Peeta… They were planning that the whole time… They were using you," Katniss told him softly.

Peeta's head shot up and he looked at Katniss with blazing anger. "No!" He shouted holding the knife up, ready to end's Katniss' life.

"Hey!" A voice said from behind Katniss. She turned her head to see Cato standing there, glaring at Peeta. "Don't do it 12. You'll regret it. Your two friends back there are dead and I have no problem killing you too."

Peeta wrapped an arm around Katniss' throat and held the knife to her head. "I'll kill her before you can kill me," he stated. "And then… I'll kill you."

"Peeta no!" Katniss said pulling at his arm. How could she get out of this situation and keep everyone alive? That's when she thought. "P-Peeta… You were right… I-I was going to turn on you. Leave you, okay? Not kill you though. I was just going to take that packs and go, leave you by yourself, see how you fended by yourself…" She lied.

"I knew it! You traitor!" He said and held her harder, almost cutting off her air supply.

"But Peeta, I-I didn't want t-to kill you, o-okay? S-So doing this… K-Killing me… Is-Is bad…" Katniss said, her voice being almost cut off by Peeta's hold.

"You were going to leave me… So I left you…" Peeta whispered and looked down at her. "Why did you want to leave me?" He let his grip go some.

"I need to get home Peeta… I do… My mom and my sister need me… Please… Don't kill me… If I die… They won't be able to fend for themselves… I need to be there…" Katniss whispered.

"I don't want to die, though, Katniss…" His voice was soft, almost like a small, scared child.

"None of us do, Peeta… We all want to see home again, we all want to see our families, do what we want to do with our lives… I won't be the one to take your life, Peeta… Cato won't either. I saved you back there, like you saved me the time you gave me the bread… I won't ever forget that okay? I won't ever forget you…" She said. "And you're a strong, strong tribute… There's not many people left in the games… You, me, Cato, and Thresh and a couple others from other districts… We are some of the last ones if I'm remembering right… You could very well make it through this… I promise, Peeta…"

Peeta let her go and looked down at her. "I've always loved you Katniss…" He said into her ear.

Katniss bit down on her lip and furrowed her eyebrows lightly. "I know…"

"Don't forget me…" He said softly.

"Never…" She stated giving him a small smile.

He nodded and then looked down at the knife and back up at her sighing softly. He dropped it and bit his lip backing up and then turning, running away. Katiniss watched him and sighed softly as Cato came up behind her and rested her hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"Yeah…" She mumbled, her voice practically inaudible to Cato's ears. "Let's just go…" She muttered and turned to him.

Cato nodded sadly and kissed her head softly. "It's going to be okay…" He whispered.

"But it won't, Cato…" Katniss said softly and shook her head looking down at the ground.

Cato took her chin between his thumb and finger and tilted it up so he could look at her. Tears were pooling in his eyes and he furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, hey…" He said as she started shaking. She was biting her lip so hard to stop the tears. "It's okay, Katniss," Cato said. "Don't be afraid to cry…"

"No! I'm not going to-to cry…" Katniss said and leaned into his chest, her body being racked by sobs.

Cato swallowed thickly and held her close, rubbing her back and sighing softly as he kissed her head. He wanted to make this all better. He wanted her not to feel all this hurt anymore and he hated that she cried and that she was so upset. Cato leaned into her ear and whispered softly. "You will win this Katniss… Whatever it takes…" He said softly.

Katniss looked up and furrowed her eyebrows. "But-But you and-and Peeta will die! I don't want that to happen…" She said. "I don't want to lose you and I don't want to lose Peeta… Even if he did try to kill me… Even if he's not the same Peeta, I just know that he saved me and I promised to save him…" She said.

"What about me?" He asked.

Katniss bit her lip lightly and looked at him a bit longer before leaning in and kissing him softly. Cato held her close and kissed back immediately. They pulled away and Cato smiled down at her as she smiled back up. "That's why…" She said softly and leaned on him again. Cato hugged her tightly and sighed.

"I think you need some food and rest… Let's go set up our camp," Cato said and rubbed her back.

Katniss nodded lightly and they walked back to where there stuff was. They picked it up and then walked a little ways. Instead of hiding up in a tree, they decided on a cave. It was well hidden in a batch of trees and bushes covered the opening. It was safe and nicely hidden. They went in and started setting up the sleeping bags and made a fire. Katniss set some fish that they had caught over the fire and took out some berries and ate them. She sat there watching the fish and didn't say a word, too tired to talk. Cato sat next to her and smiled.

"I'll wake you up when the food is done…" He said softly and kissed her head, letter her lean on his shoulder.

Katniss looked up and smiled softly at him. "Okay," she said and put the berries back in the book bag. She leaned on Cato who wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled. "If anything happens… Wake me up too…" She whispered.

Cato nodded. "Of course," he said.

Katniss fell fast asleep and Cato smiled down at her. It was crazy to think that at the beginning of these games, they hated each other. Cato thought she was pretty and a hell of an archer, but he never thought of himself falling for her as hard as he did. Had she fallen for him in the same way? He had been wondering that for a while now. What if she didn't? What if this was honestly just for show?

As Cato sat there, watching the fire, making sure that it wouldn't go out, he heard a clink outside. He looked down at Katniss and slowly got up, laying her on the ground gently and then going outside. There was a parachute sitting there and he picked it up going back into the cave. He opened it and it was more food. He smiled and walked into the cave again. Katniss was fast asleep. He took the salmon off the fire and gently shook Katniss, but she didn't wake up. He smiled and decided to let her sleep a little longer. He ate his part of the fish and then leaned back against the side of the cave, the sun going down on the outside.

Katniss groaned as she began to wake up and then jumped awake looking around frantically. "Katniss?" Cato asked and quickly went over to her. Her body shook and she screamed as she backed up. There was a huge spider crawling towards her. "Kill it!" She shouted. Cato quickly stomped on it and then looked at her.

"What was that about?" He asked furrowing her eyebrows at her.

She sighed in relief. "Nothing, it was poisonous. If it bit one of us then we'd be dead right now."

Cato widened his eyes. "How do you know that?" He asked.

"Because they were in the forests right outside of District 12. I was always out there and, well, Gale and I had to kill a few," she said.

Cato nodded and then handed her the fish and showed her the parachute. "Someone sent one of us food…" He said and smiled handing it to her. She closed it back up, though and put it away. "Save it…" She said.

She ate and then looked outside at the setting sun and that's when a canon went off. Katniss gasped and furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Cato. "What if that was…" She trailed.

He shook his head. "It probably wasn't… Don't worry, okay? I'm sure he's fine…" Cato kissed her cheek lightly and gave her a small smile, but no one could ever be sure…

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**To be completely honest, I didn't know how to end it, so that's why it's the way it is... Lol! So what did you think of this chapter? I was thinking of doing the next chapter about Peeta, because, like, what's going on with him right? At least half of it. And then more Cato and Katniss, but we'll see. This is all a let's see what we can write during school and while we're bored type of story. I don't outline or write ahead. It's literally let's write for a while and then post it right when it's done! So yep! Aha! I hope you like it and thank you so much for reading! **

**xxKellyn **


	6. Dreaming and I Love You

**So this chapter is a pretty long one I think! It's to make up for how long it's been since I've updated! Aha! So I hope you like it! **

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A shiver took over Peeta's body as he laid on the damp ground in the small cave he had found. He watched the opening, clutching a knife in his hand as he mulled over whether he should let himself get some sleep tonight or not. He was afraid and hadn't eaten in well over five hours. He needed to hunt and gather, but it was dark and more dangerous than before. He sighed heavily and shivered again, curling into a tight ball in hopes of trying to warm him up. He couldn't help but let another shiver creep up his spine. He swallowed thickly and looked at the knife. How easy would it be to just end his own life? All it would take would be one cut to his arm or his chest and his life would be all over soon… Then he wouldn't have to deal with this hell anymore.

He sat up slowly and held the knife tightly in his hand and furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head quickly. He promised himself in the beginning of these games that he wouldn't let them get to him and that he'd be okay, but… Everything that has happened messed up his head. It was all jumbled and confused now and Peeta… He wasn't Peeta anymore. He wasn't who he was coming into the games and he wasn't someone he wanted to be. He turned into a pawn, he turned into one of the careers. He played right into the palms of their hands. He wouldn't let the rest of these games turn him. Peeta swallowed thickly and set the knife down carefully, taking a deep breath and then sighing softly and looking out the entrance of the cave.

He stood and took one of his spears and decided to get something to eat. He walked out and looked around for any sign of an animal. The trek through the woods was harder than before, though. Not having food and a wound in the arm did make it harder. He had stocked up on water, three canteens full and he had one of them around his shoulder along with a pack to carry his food in. He spent what felt like hours searching for something to kill that he could eat, but all he managed to get were a few berries and he had set a small trap that could catch a squirrel or a rabbit. He reluctantly went back to the cave and started to eat some of the berries that he had picked. Katniss had taught him about nightlock and he was careful not to pick any of it, knowing what it really looked like.

When Peeta finished and sat and watched the opening of the cave, not wanting to fall asleep, no being able to will himself to do so because he was afraid that someone would come in and ultimately kill him. Silence over took the cave, the only sound was the mockingjays outside and… a voice… It floated through Peeta's ears. He turned and saw Katniss standing there, smiling at him. "K-Katniss?" He asked softly, his voice hoarse and thick with tears. "What are you doing here?"

She walked over and shrugged. "Nothing really, just… came to see how you were doing," she responded, but Peeta noticed her voice sounded different, but he couldn't put his finger on how.

"I-I'm fine…" He murmured lightly. "I'm so sorry about earlier. I-I was scared… and-and…"

"Sh…" Katniss whispered to him and giggled, making a smile spread across Peeta's face. Her laugh was one of his favorite things about her. "It's okay… I don't want to talk about that. You don't look too great." She pointed out, her eyebrows furrowing lightly. "Have you eaten anything?"

He shook his head lightly and then shrugged. "Well… Just a few berries, that's it. I couldn't find any other food," he said aloud.

"Peeta… Food is one of the most important things about surviving in these games. You know that. Did you true to hunt or fish even?" She questioned.

"Yes!" He said and bit his lip. "It's so hard… I just want to give up, Katniss…" He whispered.

"You can't Peeta…" She said softly and moved closer, wrapping her arms around him, hugging him tightly, but Peeta couldn't feel her arms. It felt as if she was… a ghost.

He gasped and jumped away looking at her with wide eyes. "Katniss, you didn't die did you?" He asked scared, tears streaming down his face suddenly.

She looked at him sadly, he form disappearing and she vanished. Everything went black then.

Peeta gasped awake and looked around shaking. "Katniss?" He asked. There was no answer. "Katniss!"

A dream… A sick twisted dream was all it was. He brought his knees to his chest, clutching them tightly as he cried into them, his tired body being shaken by them. He wanted this to end. He needed it to end… But then again… What if Katniss was looking for him? What if that was a dream to stay alive? What if Cato had done her wrong and she was hurt and that's why she was dead in his dream? That's what he had to stay alive for. He wanted to stay alive for Katniss; in case she really needed him.

"Cato! No! Stop!" Katniss yelled. "You're doing that all wrong!" She rushed over to the fire and nudged Cato out of the way and put the fire out herself. "We need to keep the wood dry! You can't just… Do what you were doing on it…" She rolled her eyes and grabbed her bow.

Cato walked over to her and smiled, taking her by the waist. "Sorry, sorry…" He muttered. Katniss avoided his gaze. She was extremely irritated this morning and Cato knew it. He just kept pushing her buttons too. "Listen, why don't you stay here and I'll go check the traps really quick," he said softly and rubbed her sides.

"No," she said simply and wiggled out of his grasp and pulled on a pack. "You can stay here and I'll check the traps. I need some time to think…" She whispered as she began to walk out of the cave.

She didn't know why she was so mad at him, so mad at everything, but she just was. She woke up and realized where she was and just got upset and then Cato made it worse the whole morning by being exponentially stupid about things and now she just wanted to go check the traps and hunt. That's how she would blow off steam when she was back in District 12.

Cato took her arm and turned her around, pressing his lips to hers. He pulled back and smirked at her. "Be careful…" He said softly.

She nodded as her heart skipped a beat, looking up at him. She forced a small smile on her face and took a small breath. "Okay… If I'm not back by… Noon… You can come out okay? Just make sure to hide the entrance, okay?"

Cato nodded and sighed softly, pressing his lips to hers once again. "Sounds good…" He said softly and smiled.

Katniss walked out of the cave and went off checking the traps in the woods that Cato and her had set up. She smiled as she picked up two squirrels and a rabbit from three out of the five traps. She was starting to go back, looking out for any other source of food. She gathered a couple of berries from a couple bushes and some leaves that could be used for healing cuts. As she was halfway back to the cave, she felt like she was being followed and when she turned she saw a familiar face. "Peeta?" She asked.

Peeta looked at her, his eyes wide. He looked around and then rushed over and pushed her against a tree roughly, she gasped and looked at him. "You're okay?" Peeta asked lowly and searched her face.

"I'm fine," she said softly. His grip around her arms loosening. "What about you? You look… Terrible…" She said looking at his skinny figure. It had been a week since their last encounter and he looked like he hadn't had anything to eat in a long time.

"Fine…" He said softly.

"Have you been eating?" Katniss asked him and took his face in her hands, tilting it from side to side to look at him better, treating him like a mother would her child.

"Yeah, some… Whatever I can get…" Peeta answered her, watching her lightly.

She nodded and reached in her back, taking out a squirrel and handing it to him. "Take it," she instructed.

Peeta shook his head. "You need that, though."

"You need it more…" Katniss whispered and placed it in his hand and then looked up at him. "Be careful out here, Peeta…" She said softly and went on her tip toes to kiss his cheek.

"Y-Yeah…" He said softly. "You be careful too… Come find me if you need anything."

Katniss smiled softly and nodded. "Okay…" She said and then backed up before turning and walking back to the cave. She sighed softly as she walked in and looked to Cato who was sitting, leaning again the side of a wall. Cato looked up. "Hey," he said and smiled. "Find anything good?" He stood and walked over to her.

She nodded and took off the pack and handed it to him softly. "Yeah, a squirrel, a rabbit, and some berries," she said.

Cato smiled and nodded. "Good. We'll be eating well, yeah?" He kissed her head and took the pack, unloading it and taking a knife to it to get the fur off of the rabbit first.

The rest of the night consisted of preparing the food. Katniss was extremely distracted by seeing Peeta earlier that day. When the sun had set, Cato walked over to Katniss and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder. "Everything okay?" He asked her, noticing that she hadn't talked as much the rest of the day.

"I'm fine…" She muttered and leaned into him lightly. "Just thinking…"

"About…" He asked and trailed lightly, rubbing his nose against her neck.

"Nothing…" She muttered and turned around looking at him smiling softly. She didn't want to talk about it much, she knew that Cato wouldn't be happy if he knew she saw Peeta.

"Sure you don't want to talk about anything?" He asked and smiled softly at her.

Katniss nodded lightly and smiled up at him as he smiled down at her. Cato leaned in and brushed his lips against hers smiling. She blushed lightly and closed her eyes lightly as he kissed her softly, holding her close. Katniss kissed back and moved her lips with his. Cato pushed her lightly against the cave wall. Katniss gasped lightly as he kissed her rougher. She hummed lightly as Cato let his tongue inside her mouth. She stopped there and looked at him, her heart racing. "I uh…" She muttered.

Cato smiled and giggled and traced her jawline with his nose and kissed just under her ear smirking. "Mm… Sorry…" He muttered. "If I went too far."

"I just… I…" She couldn't get her words out of her mouth as she looked up at him.

He chuckled and pecked her lips. "It's okay… I understand…" He said and sat down. Katniss sat with him and cuddled next to him. He turned to her and took a light breath and leaned into her ear. "I love you…" He whispered lightly.

Katniss widened her eyes and bit her lip, looking at him lightly. "I-I…" She said softly. "I love you too…" She smiled softly and pecked his lips lightly.

Cato smiled and sighed in relief. "I was scared for a minute…" He said and chuckled lightly.

She shook her head and place her face in the crook of his neck.

With six people left in the games, Katniss wanted to spend as much time as she could with Cato and she just hoped it wasn't going to be the last time… She just hoped something would happen that the games would end and her, Cato, and Peeta could all get out alive and back to their families…

Was it really that impossible?

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**Meh Meh so what did you think? Some fluff, some sadness, I thought when Katniss was kinda ticked at the world was funny, but that's just me. Aha! Please review! I love reading them! And when there's more reviews I try and update quicker... Sooooo... Yeeaaahhh anyways yep! I'm tired so I'm going to go now! Thanks for reading! **

**xxKellyn**


	7. Falling Short of Complete Victory

**Just don't hate me... **

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Three people left…

That's all that was left in the games. Thresh was the last to be killed before the final three and he died in a fire that was set by the fire he had before he fell asleep. The screams were heard throughout the arena, the flames could be seen for miles. Things were quiet now. Katniss was deep in thought, very distracted and Cato was worried about her. She wasn't talking like she used to. She didn't smile and when night came along all she would have terrible night terrors, screaming and crying in her sleep. Cato would wake up and quickly take her in his arms. She refused to talk about them and would go back to sleep for the rest of the night.

Peeta was completely by himself. He was doing better since his last encounter with Katniss, knowing that he wanted to try and stay alive for her. He was eating more and was better at hunting than ever. His strength was up and he felt like he was doing alright and that's when he figured out about the final three. What was going to happen now? The people outside of the games were going to want this to end soon and that meant that two people had to die. It couldn't be Katniss… That's all he thought. He wanted to get out of there as much as the next person, but he knew that she had to get back…

That day seemed darker. The clouds had rolled in and thunder sounded throughout the woods. A cool breeze swept past Cato and Katniss as they were walking towards the creek to get some water. Katniss felt different, dizzy and sick almost. She knew something bad was going to happen today and she could tell Cato felt it too. As they bent down to get water, a voice came over the speakers in the arena.

"Hello tributes," the Gamemaker said. "You are the final three, congratulations. We're making a rule change… _Two _tributes will come out of this arena alive… May the odds be ever in your favor…" The voice cut out and Katniss and Cato looked at each other. Cato smiled wide, but Katniss frowned. "Peeta… I can't… Cato…" She whispered and bit her lip.

"You don't have to…" Cato whispered softly.

"I can't see him die or anything either… There has to be some way around one of us dying. I don't want to lose you and I don't want to lose Peeta…" Katniss said softly and began to walk away.

"You're being irrational…" Peeta said bluntly. "Two of us can win this game. Two of us can get out of here and go home. The two of us, me and you, we can be together still."

"How could you be so selfish?! Peeta has a life too! Peeta has a family too! He's from my district! What's going to happen when I go back and he's not there when two people could win?!" Katniss shouted at him. "What's going to happen when his family sees him dead? I have to see them all the time, Cato… You don't…"

"But I have to see Clove's family and she's already dead and she's dead because of me and you… So how do you think going back to my district would be?" Cato countered back. Katniss was silent as she looked at Cato. She turned and started walked away. Cato ran up to her and grabbed her arm and turned her around. "What are you thinking?" He asked, searching her face.

Katniss didn't say a word and she just shook her head and looked down. "Don't worry about it…" She whispered and backed up then started walking.

"Katniss!" Cato shouted and went towards her. As he reached out to grab her, the ground fell beneath the two of them. Katniss screamed as they fell into a deep hole and crashed to the ground. Cato fell next to her and groaned in pain. Katniss cursed and rolled on her side and held her arm. Cato looked at her, winded he tried to catch his breath. "A-Are you ok-kay?" He asked as he sat up and took a deep breath.

She nodded her head lightly. "But… I think my arm might be broken…" She muttered and sat up herself and then looked up at the opening of the hole. They fell pretty far down too.

Cato went over to her and took her arm gingerly in his hand. Katniss cursed and pursed her lips. "Yeah…" He said lightly, "I'm pretty sure it's broken…"

Katniss nodded lightly and cradled her arm, holding it close and sighing lightly. "Okay… um…" She took her jacket off and handed it to Cato. "Have you ever made a sling before?"

"Once… My friend broke his arm while we were training…" Cato said softly. "That was a few years ago…"

"Okay… Just make one for me really quick, please…" She said softly and sighed heavily.

Cato began to do so and then smiled lightly when he finished. "How does that feel?" He asked and looked at her.

"Fine…" She said softly and sighed, looking down at her arm. "Now what though? We're stuck…" Katniss looked up at the sky through the opening of the hole. "If we don't get out of here then we'll end up dying down here…"

Cato looked up. "I can climb it and then pull you up…" He said and looked back at her. "There are a couple of roots from the trees sticking out… It shouldn't be that hard…" He said and smiled lightly.

Katniss looked at him lightly. "Okay… That sounds good…"

Cato looked up and grabbed a root from a tree and began to climb, being careful and finding foot holds for himself. He got to the top and smiled and then threw down a rope he had in his pack. Katniss tied it around her waist and held onto it and tugged it. Cato started pulling her up and smiled when she surfaced. "You alright?" He asked pulling her over the edge.

Katniss nodded. "Yeah, thanks…" She muttered. "Let's keep moving."

"Where to?" He asked.

Katniss shrugged, but then there was a rustling in the bushes. They turned and a cougar jumped out and snarled at them. The two tributes were frozen in place at the sight of the creature. There was a scream and the cougar got distracted looking the distance. Cato grabbed Katniss and ran off away from cougar. "Peeta's in trouble…" Katniss said worried.

"He'll be fine…" Cato said simply as they ended up in the open field with the Cornucopia in sight. "We'll climb up there…" He said as there was a growl from the cougar that had pursued them.

"We have to hurry!" Katniss said in a rushed tone.

Cato bit his lip and looked up and set Katniss back on the ground and then jumped up, and then threw the rope down to her like in the hole and she quickly tied it around herself, Cato quickly pulling her up just as the cougar ran into the opening. Katniss took her bow and cursed realizing she was disabled in using it. Cato reached in the bag only to find a knife. The cougar jumped up, trying to get to them, growling and snarling and in its eyes you could tell that it was set to kill and wasn't giving up. "A knife isn't going to kill that thing…" Cato muttered.

"No…" Katniss said and then started looking around at the line of the woods, searching for any sign of Peeta, wondering if he would show up. There wasn't a canon, nothing announcing that he was dead. There was movement that caught Katniss' eye and she stared there and soon, Peeta came running out with a cougar hot on his tail. He ran to the Cornucopia and jumped, latching onto the side and sliding a bit. Katniss ran over and pulled him up quickly, the cougar jumping at him, leaving a scratch down his back. He cursed in pain. "Peeta! Thank God!" She said and hugged him tightly as she got him up, not noticing the scratch at all.

Cato looked at the two and bit down on his lip. Peeta smiled lightly and hugged her back. "Thank God you're okay…" He said softly and then looked at her. "What happened to your arm?"

"I fell into a whole and broke it…" Katniss said and smiled softly. "Cato helped me with the sling…" Cato smirked and nodded lightly.

Peeta groaned in pain and Katniss looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "What is it?" She asked and looked at him worriedly.

"My back…" He said softly and took a deep breath.

Katniss pulled back and looked at her arms and they were covered in blood. "N-No…" She muttered and looked to Peeta who was already looking pale. Katniss looked at his back and gasped, seeing how deep the scratches actually were. "No… No…" She said, tears in her eyes.

Peeta looked at her, his vision slightly hazy. "What's wrong?" Peeta asked lightly.

Katniss looked at him and shook her head lightly. "N-Nothing… It's alright…" She told him. "H-Here… Lay down…" She laid him back and looked at him lightly.

Cato walked over. "What's wrong Katniss?" He asked her, noticing that she was upset all of the sudden.

She looked up at him and leaned into his ear. "He was scratched and is bleeding out…" She whispered softly.

Cato knitted his eyebrows together and looked at her. "I'm sorry…" He whispered back.

Katniss bit her lip and looked back down at Peeta who was getting paler. "Peeta… How do you feel?" She asked him softly, trying to stay calm and not be hysterical, knowing the inevitable end to the boy from the bakery.

"I'm cold…" Peeta said. "And my back hurts…"

Katniss nodded and looked around for anything to cover him up so that he would be more comfortable, but all she had was her sling. She started to untie it and draped it over him and sniffled lightly. "Better?" She asked and her voice caught in her throat.

"Yeah…" Peeta responded. "Are you okay? You… sound upset…" He whispered. "What's wrong?"

Katniss looked back at Cato and sniffled lightly. "Should I tell him?" She asked.

Cato nodded. "It's better for him to know than to not know…"

She nodded and looked back at Peeta, moving closer to him and biting her lip. Katniss took a deep breath before saying, "You were scratched… Really bad in the back, Peeta… There's… There's a lot of blood…" She sniffled.

Peeta looked up to her, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes glazing over. "Am I-I dying?" He asked.

Katniss let out a choked sob and covered her mouth with her hand and nodded lightly. "Y-Yeah…" She said softly. "I'm so, so sorry Peeta…"

"I'm scared…" He confessed and looked to her, tears in his eyes now. "I don't want to die…"

"I don't want you to either…" Katniss told him and put her face in his chest crying.

"I-I love you Katniss… And-And I mean really love you…" Peeta admitted and looked at her. She turned to face him and he looked down at her lightly. "Can I-I kiss you?"

Katniss looked at him with wide eyes and then bit her lip. She nodded and sat up and leaned over, kissing him softly. He kissed her back lovingly, each breath drawing closer and closer to his last until he stopped breathing completely.

Katniss pursed her lips when she felt his cold lips stop moving and didn't hear his breathing anymore. She placed a hand over her mouth again, sobbing into her hand.

The canon blast went off and then the Head Gamemaker came over the speakers. "Congratulations to you both. You have both came through victorious in the 74th annual Hunger Games."

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**I was crying in the middle of the room I was in while writing this and my teacher just looked at me and my friend had no clue what was going on but... It's the Hunger Games. Your lucky I let two people live... Meh. Anyways... I'm sorry to say that this part is almost over. There will probably be two or three more chapters and then I'm going to write a sequel (based on Catching Fire). This is just to give you guys a heads up! So when after this series is over and you want to read the sequel, either keep a look out or... you know... you could follow me to... That would be a little easier in my book to be honest. Thank you for reading! I love reviews so if you want to leave one that'd make me really really happy! **

**xxKellyn **


	8. Trying to Forget

**Thank you everyone for all the reviews! I'm really trying to take all of your recommendations for my writing into view! Sometimes I really just don't read over it because I don't have time. Like right now I'm posting this in my History class... Sh... haha! But thank you for helping out to make this story better and to make my over all writing better! **

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Katniss sat on the ride back in complete silence. Tear stains still smeared across her cheeks. She sat curled into a ball on the seat as she took shallow breaths. The image of Peeta's face still engraved in her mind. The dirt that was caked into his hair and smothered his face, the scratches on his back, the blood… All the blood… How his lips felt against hers and the way he kissed was so warm… She looked over to Cato who had been watching her the whole time. He took a breath and looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry…" Was the first words she managed out of her mouth.

Cato looked back up at her and swallowed thickly. "No… Don't be sorry…" He said softly and then moved to the seat next to her. "I'm sorry about you losing your friend…" He stated and kissed her head, draping an arm around her shoulders.

She bit her lip roughly and curled into his side, seeking some kind, any kind of warmth, of light, because she felt like she was encased in a darkness and coldness. She just wanted to be warm again, to be happy, but thinking of Peeta just made her more and more sad. Katniss bit down on her lip and cuddled close into Cato, holding his shirt in a fist, holding back more tears that wanted to come out. "I want to forget his death… Just know that he's gone but forget seeing him die and to forget seeing him in pain and suffering…" She admitted to Cato who nodded and kissed her temple.

"I know you do, Katniss… I think we both want to forget what happened in that arena…" He responded and sighed softly.

Katniss curled into his side and closed her eyes, beginning to fall asleep when they landed in the Capitol. There were screams coming from outside of the airplane. Both Cato and Katniss took a deep breath. Effie Trinket came in, a big smile plastered across her face, and looked at them both. "Well don't you two look cozy? Up, up though! You both have to get ready for tonight!" She said clapping her hands and pulled them both up. "Come on now! Cinna is waiting for you, Ms. Everdeen! And your designer will be right with you."

Effie dragged Katniss off to a room where she was quickly cleaned up and then taken to another room where Cinna, her stylist and friend, stood and smiled as she walked in, in her robe and her hair down. "Ah… Ms. Katniss Everdeen…" He said and walked over to her, giving her a big hug. "I'm sorry about Peeta… but congratulations to you, my dear…" He looked at her.

Katniss swallowed thickly and nodded at the sound of Peeta's name, but placed a sad smile on her face. "Thank you Cinna…" She whispered and then hugged him again.

He chuckled quietly and then pulled back again. "Let's get you looking like Capitol material," he said and sighed looking at her. "A victor of the Hunger Games from District 12 is a rare thing… We have to do something great. Something that will leave an imprint in the minds of all the Districts and the Capitol for a long time… Do you agree?" He asked which was met with a nod. "Good… Now… Where's that pin of yours?" He asked.

Katniss reached in the pocket of her robe and took it out. She had to hide it from Effie so she wouldn't know that it was brought in the games with her. Cinna would most likely end up getting in trouble. It was dirty from being in her jacket for so long. Cinna made a '"tsk" sound and went over to a sink and started cleaning it lightly. He set it on the counter and then turned to Katniss, a smile beaming across his face. "I think I know what I want to do for your return."

About three hours later, Cinna had finished a dress that left Katniss absolutely speechless. It was a beautiful gown, a pure white with tinges of blue at the bottom. A feathered train extended five feet behind it and a fabric bird's wing acted adorned the bodice. It was absolutely stunning as per usual to what Cinna would do. He sat her down in a chair and did her make-up, adding glitter all over her face, chest and arms. Eyelashes with blue and white feathers went on her eyes and he put a sparkly white eye shadow on her. Her lipstick was a natural pink and then her cheeks had a light blush, not wanting to take away from the beauty that Katniss held and from the dress. Her hair was done in her signature braid and a crown of white feathers went around her head.

Cinna left the room so Katniss could get dress. An avox came in and helped her into her dress and gave her a pair of heels then smiled at her. "Thank you…" Katniss said to her. The avox only nodded and then walked out of the room, Cinna returning and smiling at her.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Cinna told her. "As always of course… How are you feeling?"

"Fine…" She said to him and gave a sheepish smile.

"Be happy, Katniss… I know it's hard… but try your best. You get to see your family again, your friends. You get to go back to your District…"

She nodded quickly and looked down. "I know… I just… I miss Peeta…" She whispered.

Cinna nodded. "I know…"

They walked out together and then went to the door where they would walk out. Cato was standing there in an white suit, a blue tie and blue vest, the colors matching Katniss' dress. The dirt was all gone from his body, his face more prominent than it was before. Katniss smiled at him and went to his side, taking his hand. "You look beautiful," Cato said and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you," Katniss said and squeezed her hand. "You look great too…"

He blushed lightly and grinned, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. Cinna saw and quickly went over, pinning it back and smiling. "Absolutely stunning, the both of you. You've been the talk of the Capitol with your… relationship," Cinna said and smirked. "It's an odd one… It hasn't happened before in these games. It's always people from the same District that seem to fall for each other."

Cato looked down at Katniss and chuckled. "We're just… an odd couple, I guess…" He leaned down and pecked her lips. Katniss smiled for a second, but a flash of Peeta kissing her flashed across her mind. She jumped and pulled back and Cato looked down at her confused. "Are you okay?"

Katniss just looked up at him and shook her head. Cato realized what she was thinking about and bit his lip roughly before pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you, Katniss…" He said. "I'm going to help you through no matter how long it takes, okay?"

She nodded and looked up at him. "I love you too, Cato."

Cato gave her a gentle smile and kiss her cheek lightly. "We'll take baby steps."

Katniss nodded and Effie clapped her hands as she came into the room. "Okay! Let's get going you two. Big smiles, remember to wave to the crowd! Don't forget to walk straight and—" Effie was cut off by Haymitch who walked into the room with a tux on and a man I had never seen before. Cato stood a bit straighter as he walked in and I was guessing that he was his mentor.

"Listen Effie. I think the kids have been through enough of this Capitol bull that they know how to act and they know what to do. Just let them get it over with so they can go back to their homes sooner," Haymitch said and then smiled sadly at Katniss. "Congratulations, sweetheart."

Katniss nodded towards him and then looked down at the ground, biting her own lip.

"Effie rolled her eyes and stood in front of Cato and Katniss. "Ready?" She asked.

"Wait!" Cinna said, rushing over with the Mockingjay pin. He pinned it to Katniss' dress and smiled. "There it's all done." Katniss smiled then.

"Alright, now are we ready?" Effie asked exasperated.

They both nodded and then put on their best smiles. Effie opened the door and people were chanting Cato's and Katniss' names. Cato squeezed Katniss' hand as they walked out. Peacekeepers were at the bottom and waited for Cato and Katniss. They walked through the crowd, smiling and waving and when they got to the end, they turned around and smiled, raising their clasped hands. "Congratulations to the two victors," a voice over the intercom said. People screamed and clapped, chanting started and music played. Later that night there was a dinner and then Cato and Katniss were sent to their rooms.

Katniss sat there and stared blankly at the wall as she thought of Peeta again. She couldn't shake him from her mind. She wanted so badly to just forget, but couldn't. He was all she could thing about. There was a knock on her door then and she sat up. "Come in!" She called.

Cato opened the door, walking gingerly over to where Katniss was sitting on her bed. He looked at her a second before sitting. He stood again and bit roughly on his lip. "Do you really love me?" He asked in a rushed sort of way.

Katniss looked up at him, slightly confused as to why he was asking her that. "Of course I am, Cato…" She responded. "Why?"

"Because… um… nothing. Nevermind. It was stupid question…" Cato said sitting once again. "How are you? Refreshed? Tired? Happy? Sad?"

"Why are you asking so many questions, Cato?" Katniss asked, furrowing her eyebrows in more confusion.

"I'm just checking in on you… I'm a bit worried about you, Katniss… You're always looking sad, you haven't been talking much, during dinner you barely ate…" He said observantly.

"I'm sorry, but… I really am just… depressed…" She whispered softly.

"About Peeta?" He inquired.

Katniss chewed on her lip and nodded. "Yes…"

"Were you in love with him, Katniss? Be honest…" Cato asked.

Katniss shook her head. "No. Just seeing him lay there suffering and then dying, I mean.. It was terrifying and… Cato… that kiss was just for him. He loved me so I gave him one last thing that was good before he died and that was all…"

Cato swallowed thickly and nodded. He looked at Katniss and then leaned in, kissing her gently on the lips and smiling as he did. Katniss smiled back against them and pushed everything else out of her mid, only thinking of her and Cato, their lips connected and molding together in perfect harmony.

Cato pulled back and looked at her, brushing her hair out of her face. He kissed the top of her forehead lightly. "I don't want you to be sad anymore… Just know that he doesn't have to live in this hell anymore…" He whispered to her. "He doesn't have to live through all of this crap that we do… He's lucky…"

Katniss nodded her head and looked up to him and leaned into his chest. "Okay…" She whispered. "I'll—I'll try to… be myself…" Katniss said to him. "I promise…"

Cato nodded and rubbed her back. They laid down and Cato kept his arms around Katniss, wanting to keep her safe. Katniss fell asleep quickly and Cato did as well, knowing the next day was going to be long. They would be touring the districts and he'd be going home for the first time in what felt like forever. He was happy, nervous, and excited to see what the future was going to hold for him in District 1.

* * *

**Okay, I think the ending sucks... Sorry about that... It's early and I'm half listening in my class... Anyways, other than that, I hope you liked it! One or two more chapters left for this one and then I'm going to take a break and start a sequel. Basically my plan is to do like each of the books with Cato and Katniss so after I see Catching Fire... Or I might just reread or something I'll start on the sequel! So make sure you're following me too yeah? Unless... you don't want to... That's cool too haha! SO review, tell me what you think! Thank you for reading! **

**xxKellyn **


	9. So Sorry

**Okay so thank you for the reader who pointed out to me that Cato is from District 2 with Marvel and not District 1 with Clove. Sorry if that makes anyone mad or that turns anyone away from the story. I couldn't remember what District he was from and I knew that it was either 1 or 2 and I decided to just put him in 1 with Clove. I'm so sorry to that. Hugs to all of you who I might have made mad. I'm sorry! And I'm also sorry to the readers who were very confused by my last chapter update. I must have clicked the wrong "chapter" (this note) to post and it posted one of the chapters... Ugh... Last week was just not okay and I hope to be updating this week sometime, but I have a lot of projects and tests this week so I will update ASAP. I promise! Thanks for reading and for being patient with me! **

**xxKellyn **


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